Reform's Zia Yusuf defended party leader Nigel Farage over his past remarks on Vladimir Putin.

Zia Yusuf has refused to condemn Nigel Farage’s previous claim that the west had “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s invasion Ukraine.

Reform UK’s head of policy was questioned over the party leader’s remarks from last June, when Farage said eastwards expansion of Nato and the EU had triggered the war.

Speaking during the 2024 election campaign, Farage said: “It was obvious to me that the ever-eastwards expansion of Nato and the EU was giving this man, Putin, a reason to say they’re coming for us again, and go to war.

“We provoked this war.”

Sky News’ Trevor Phillips reminded Yusuf of these comments during a wider conversation about the US’s new peace proposals to end the conflict.

But Yusuf insisted his party was tough on Russia, and rejected Phillips’ claim that this theory could encourage Putin.

He said: “When he [Farage] was pressed as to how he would respond if he was prime minister and Russian jets encroached into........

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